be shy of something
1shy of something — shy of (something) having less of something than is needed or expected. The bill was four votes shy of a majority. He was a large man, just shy of six feet tall. Related vocabulary: short of something …
2shy of something — phrase slightly less than, slightly earlier than, or a short distance from something They scored just shy of 100 goals last year. I called him only two minutes shy of midnight. Thesaurus: not enoughsynonym Main entry: shy …
3fight shy of something — fight shy of (something/doing something) to try to avoid something. He fought shy of entering his poems in the competition, although everyone said he should. Ellen fights shy of parties she hates crowds …
4fight shy of something — british phrase if you fight shy of something, you do not feel willing to do it because it might cause problems for you Thesaurus: unwillingness and to be unwillingsynonym Main entry: fight …
5fight shy of something — British if you fight shy of something, you do not feel willing to do it because it might cause problems for you …
6shy of something — slightly less than, slightly earlier than, or a short distance from something They scored just shy of 100 goals last year. I called him only two minutes shy of midnight …
7shy from — (US) (or shy away from) [phrasal verb] shy from (something) (US) or shy away from (something) : to try to avoid (something) because of nervousness, fear, dislike, etc. They never shied from publicity. She shies away from mak …
8shy of — (something) having less of something than is needed or expected. The bill was four votes shy of a majority. He was a large man, just shy of six feet tall. Related vocabulary: short of something …
9fight shy of something doing something — fight ˈshy of sth/of doing sth f20 idiom to be unwilling to accept sth or do sth, and to try to avoid it • Successive governments have fought shy of such measures. Main entry: ↑fightidiom …
10shy — shy1 [ ʃaı ] adjective * 1. ) nervous and embarrassed in the company of other people, especially people you do not know: Archie was shy and awkward. I d love to meet her, but I m too shy to introduce myself. a ) shy behavior shows that someone is …